1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for filtration of hydrocarbon contaminated water for separation and recovery of contaminants and recirculation of the water.
The invention also relates to an apparatus for carrying out this method.
The invention may be utilized, for example, in connection with operations of the type relating to metal working, where lubricating oil is added in small amounts to the cooling water to clean the outflow from the processing site, or to separate oil from the waste water discharged, for example, from automobile repair shops with associated motor wash facilities.
One can also conceive of other operations, however, where oil in small amounts is used in water for various purposes.
2. Description of the Related Art
In separating oil from water it is usually relatively simple to remove the most predominant part of the oil in relatively simple separation steps; the difficulties arise with the last, marginal removal of oil.
Filters and other devices have been tried, but in quite numerous cases the complexity and costs related to such systems have been prohibitive and have prevented their installation in smaller factories/facilities.
The objective of the present invention is to provide a technology that is easy to install, that requires very little space, and that may be installed with simple auxiliary agents in connection with the vast majority of operations where there is a need for separation of small amounts of oil, for example, from relatively large quantities of a carrier fluid, in most cases water.